No one likes being beaten over the head with the same message. We also cannot stand being confused when a person or organization fails to communicate a cohesive, clear message or story.

Consumers around the world are noticing the increase in communication and marketing channels (both online and offline), but how do the different channels work together?

How do marketers best use these channels to create a great consumer experience while also reaching their goals?

I am working on a retail client project and channel integration to reach their target audience and goals. Retail + digital almost always revolves around electronic commerce (e-commerce). E-commerce can include the entire online process of developing, marketing, selling, delivering, servicing and paying for products and services. E-commerce drives incremental sales for many retailers, companies and people.

As the marketing mix evolves and expands, e-commerce includes many channels. The marketing mix brings up question… how do all the channels “play nicely” instead of frustrate or confuse us?

One of my questions is… how is Facebook commerce (F-commerce) working in the e-commerce mix?

About six months ago, a Mashable stated that “there aren’t a whole lot of Facebook commerce success stories — at least not yet.”

Facebook storefronts launched months ago. At the time, Mashable said “most people don’t view the social network as a transaction platform, especially since most third-party Facebook storefront software doesn’t actually allow transactions within Facebook.” The Mashable article agrees that there are still reasons to set up shop on Facebook; however, I am not convinced that Facebook is currently the best platform for consumer transactions.

As I dive into my new role as Channel Integration Manager, I am working hard to learn the strengthens and best uses of the many channels. All the channels must work together to produce a great consumer experience. Of course, companies also want make money by motivating people to buy their products and/or services.

Recently, SMI stated that “despite the billion-dollar predictions, only a small percentage of retailers are actually transacting on Facebook…”

Many factors play into the delay in the general usage of Facebook transactions. Think about how different channels are impacting this delay…

One reason F-commerce has not seen an incremental increase might be because many consumers have been trained to use websites are the “purchase channel.” I am not saying that websites will always be the primary channel through which transactions take place; however, Facebook transaction are not natural right now. To that point.. tweeting wasn’t “natural” for me five years ago, but now it is almost second nature. I look forward to tracking the changes, but it will always be important to think about the consumer experience as a whole.

Advocacy: Oglivy mentions “By supporting each other [fans] via digital technology [NOT ONLY Facebook], consumers create their own loyalty loop with the brand that may promote repurchase.” I agreed that Facebook fans are more likely to recommend products, but what about the email or Twitter advocates?

Facebook ROI: This needs no explanation for being channel specific. Facebook ROI is very important; however, it is only a piece of the big picture.

The point is that Facebook is an incredible tool, but there are many other factors. I have heard any people discuss Facebook’s “take over.” The platform is incredible; however, let’s play nice with the other platforms in the midst of the change and evolution. As advertisers/marketers, we must continually learn and improve as communication and culture change.

I have researched marketing integration for the numerous channels/mediums of advertising and marketing. A Google search for “infographic on marketing integration” directed me to this overwhelming infographic on Creative Traction‘s blog.

Marketing Mix Map

The map notes that it is not a comprehensive list of every marketing channel. There are so many channels for companies to reach consumers. The growth and changes in platforms and technology doesn’t make communication any easier.

The challenge is to make all these channels work together. It is becoming more and more important to integrate communication between channels as content continues to increase.

I like to take myself out of the advertising bubble and think about communication as a user/consumer. Honestly, the massive amount of content is overwhelming along with all the different channels, which house the content. I appreciate clear, constant communication.

Oh and if you have trouble following the map… you are not alone. I am excited about the challenge to try to make the marketing mix work together!

It has become pretty standard to include social sharing buttons on websites, blogs, emails, etc. Keep in mind that user sharing is different from “following” or “liking” brands’ accounts on Facebook, Tweet and other platforms.

I recently helped with a website development project in which social sharing buttons were being included. The social sharing buttons greatly interest me because they enable consumers to easily share information across multiple channels.

Sharing web, blog or email content across different channels is a large aspect of marketing/advertising channel integration. It is very important to take all aspects into account when using social sharing. Also, a developer will most likely be working on the coding for these buttons so make sure to get their imput and advice!

For example: If you are enabling consumers to share a product information page on a website you must think about…

What message(s) will be generated?

What content will you include in the auto-tweet, facebook post, and/or other messaging?

I recently asked our social media team: Is “[Article Title] I [Website Ttle] (link) via @[brandaccount] ” the best wording for the auto-tweet? Should we add something like “Check out…” or “I am reading…”? Are there stats on wording that get the most RTs? <— I am still interesting in the answer to this question.

Which platforms/button will be highlighted? There are over hundreds of social networks/platforms to including sharing buttons.

Keep in mind that every audience is different. Front end target market research about the target market is very important in order to understand which social platforms your audience is most likely to share on.

The “average” end-user may only have Facebook and possibly Twitter.

More advanced bloggers and content generators may need the more complex sharing tools.

Is your target audience more active on a specific social site?

If there are less buttons or social icons is there a the better chance users will actually share it? <— I am not sure. I would love to know the answer to this question.

What will the button(s) look like? The different sharing platforms have different customizations options regarding design.